A Pair Of Gloves
by Sofya29
Summary: It was a simple pair of gloves. But when he looked at it, he could not help thinking about the woman he loved.


Translation of my story in English. I'm sorry for the mistakes, English is not my mother tongue. I hope you like it.

**Disclaimer : **_Downton Abbey_ belongs to Julian Fellowes.

_**A Pair Of Gloves**_

**1914**

Tom took off his jacket and put it on his bed. He sat in his chair and sighed to eliminate the stress of his body. He had just avoided a dismissal and had just been reprimanded by Lord Grantham. But he did not care about that. What mattered was that Sybil was fine. He could not even dare to imagine what he would have done if something had happened to her. He thought about it again and again. If he had been faster, if he had been able to foresee the movement of the crowd more quickly, if he had insisted more for them to leave. He could have avoided all of that. Someone knocked on his door. He opened it and discovered Sybil. She seemed intimidated and did not dare to enter, which was not her habit. He noticed that she had a package in her hands. He regained his senses and invited her to enter. He tried somehow to tidy up his room under her amused eyes.

'I'm sorry Lady Sybil,' he said uncomfortably. 'I did not expect a visit.'

'I'm sorry for disturbing you.'

She took a deep breath and said :

'I wanted to apologize for what happened at the meeting. If I had listened to you and had not been so stubborn, I would not have caused you all this trouble. I told Dad that it was not your fault, it was all mine.'

'Do not worry. Lord Grantham did not dismissed me.'

Sybil smiled, reassured.

'What's important,' Tom continued, 'is that you're alright.'

Tom invited her to sit on the chair, apologizing that he had nothing more comfortable and he sat on the bed in front of her.

'I also wanted to thank you,' Sybil said. 'Cousin Matthew told me that you helped me. Please, accept this as a thank you gift.'

She handed the package to Tom and he accepted it. He opened it and Sybil was impatient for him to discover his present. Inside he found leather driving gloves. He had never seen gloves of such high quality, and he suspected that they must be worth a fortune.

'I ... I can not accept it.'

'Please. It's the least I can do. I noticed that yours were worn out and I thought those might be helpful.'

Tom took the gloves out of the package and ran his thumb over the leather.

'Try them,' Sybil asked.

Tom slipped on the gloves and noticed that they were as comfortable as he imagined. He could not help thinking that he should not accept such a gift, but before he had time to say anything, Sybil spoke.

'I'm glad, I was afraid it would be poor fit. I'll leave you before dad realizes I'm gone.'

She headed for the door before he had time to refuse the gloves and then she turned to him.

'Good night Branson.'

'Good night Lady Sybil.'

Sybil went out. Tom looked at the gloves one last time and smiled. The next day, as Tom drove the three Crawleys sisters to their grandmother's, Mary noticed the new gloves that the young man was wearing.

'You have got very beautiful gloves,' she said.

'Thank you Lady Mary. It's a gift that was given to me.

'It surely be worth a fortune. This person must really like you.'

Tom nodded slightly to Mary and glanced quickly at Sybil who was staring at her knees, blushing. Tom smiled and thought that maybe the young woman was feeling the same than him.

**~ 00 ~**

**1919**

The war had been over for several months. After all these years of horror, the world could finally heal its wounds. Unfortunately, the flu epidemic had raged in Downton and had taken away a loved realized that life was fragile and that she had to stop being afraid and she had to accept her feelings for Tom. The couple had left Downton Abbey to get married. They knew that no one would accept their union. He, a driver, and her, the daughter of Lord Grantham. Tom had never been so happy, but he was also scared that one day she regretted her decision to marry him and give up everything she had. Housed in a small hotel room, they decided to spend the night before they continued the road. In a few hours, the Crawley family would know their intention to get married. Tom saw Sybil take the gloves he had put on the bedside table. Her face lit up with a tender smile.

'You still have it ?'

'It is precious to me. Even worn and damaged, I have never been able to part with it.'

He came up to her and hugged her.

'I can not wait being your wife,' she said.

'You don't regret it, don't you ?'

Sybil shook her head and looked at him in the eyes.

'I have never been so sure of myself.'

After a kiss, Sybil headed for the bed, while Tom sat into the chair he had put next to her. Both fell asleep, unaware that Mary and Edith had gone looking for them.

**~ 00 ~**

**1920**

Tom put Sybbie in her cradle and looked at her. She was sleeping tightly and she was so innocent. He wondered if she understood what was going on around her. She was born a few days ago and she had lost her mother. Tom heard someone knock on the door. He did not greet this person. He did not want to be rude, but all he wanted was to stay alone with his daughter. Tom looked up and found Mary standing on the other side of the cradle, her eyes red from crying all night. Tom thought he should say a few words to comfort her, but he did not have the strength. Mary had lost her sister and he had lost his wife.

'She's beautiful,' Mary said with a sob in her voice.

Tom nodded. She was perfect. If only Sybil could see her. Mary coughed slightly to clear her throat.

'I know that nothing I can say will ease your grief, but you know that Sybil loved you and that she was happy. More happy than I have ever seen her.'

'If only I had listened to Dr. Clarkson.'

Mary came next to him and took his hand to comfort him. Tears were running down her cheek.

'It's not your fault. Nobody could have foreseen what was going to happen. Not even Dr. Clarkson. This is no one fault and especially not yours.'

Mary headed for a small table and saw Tom's gloves.

'It was a gift from Sybil,' Tom said.

He came up to the table and took the gloves. They were now worn.

'So it was Sybil,' Mary said. 'The person who liked you. I should have seen sooner that you loved each other. I'm glad you found each other.'

Mary sobbed and Tom took her in his arms. Tom cried too, thinking about the life he could have had with Sybil and what he had lost.

**~ 00 ~**

**1960**

Tom drove in the snowy streets to Downton with Laura Edmunds, now Branson, whom he had married thirty years ago. On Christmas Eve, the whole family was reunited. Mary, Edith and himself with their children and grandchildren would spend the holidays together. The estate now belonged to George, even if Mary still had great responsibilities. The time had passed and Downton was different. And yet it remained majestic, despite all the trials it went through. Tom parked in front of the house. The times were different and nobody was there to welcome them. He rang the bell and the butler opened the door. He had been hired only a few months after Thomas had retired, after years of work for Robert and George. Tom could not help thinking of Carson. The butler led them to the living room, where the whole family was. When they entered the living room door, a brown tornado jumped into Tom's arms.

'Grandad !'

It was Andrew, Sybbie's son. She took Andrew in her arms and kissed her father and her stepmom. The Christmas festivities began with the meal and the distribution of gifts. Andrew was playing with his toy cars in the living room and took Tom's gloves to mimic the drivers.

'Be careful, Andrew,' Sybbie said. 'These are the gloves that your grandmother gave to your grandfather.'

Tom, who was sitting on the couch, watched the scene, smiling. Andrew loved these gloves and borrowed them whenever he played with his toy cars, although they were much too big for him. Lucy, Sybbie's eldest daughter, sat next to her grandfather.

'Grandad,' she said. 'Can you tell us the story of grandma Sybil's gloves ?'

Andrew abandoned his toy cars and sat on his grandfather's lap. Tom told them him and Sybil's story. The story of the wonderful woman he had married and how a simple pair of gloves had become his most precious possession.

_**The end**_


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